Propylene oxide, reaction with amino acid

Extensive studies of stereoselective polymerization of epoxides were carried out by Tsuruta et al.21 s. Copolymerization of a racemic mixture of propylene oxide with a diethylzinc-methanol catalyst yielded a crystalline polymer, which was resolved into optically active polymers216 217. Asymmetric selective polymerization of d-propylene oxide from a racemic mixture occurs with asymmetric catalysts such as diethyzinc- (+) bomeol218. This reaction is explained by the asymmetric adsorption of monomers onto the enantiomorphic catalyst site219. Furukawa220 compared the selectivities of asymmetric catalysts composed of diethylzinc amino acid combinations and attributed the selectivity to the bulkiness of the substituents in the amino acid. With propylene sulfide, excellent asymmetric selective polymerization was observed with a catalyst consisting of diethylzinc and a tertiary-butyl substituted a-glycol221,222. ... 

Ammonia and amines open oxide rings to form amino alcoholthe yields are markedly higher when amines are employed (55-90% vs. 18-40%).The ready availability of ethylene and propylene oxides makes this procedure attractive for preparing 2 dialkylaminoethanols and l-dialkylamino-2-propanols. Thus /3-diethylaminoethanol is conveniently prepared by the addition of ethylene oxide to diethylamine in methanol at 45° to 60° or by a combination of the two reactants in an autoclave at 100° (81%). Isopropylamine reacts with ethylene oxide in the presence of water and a small amount of hydrochloric acid to form /3-isopropylaminoethanol (76%). The reaction is general and is shown by higher oxides like isobutylene oxide/ styrene oxide/ and stilbene oxide/ ... 

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